A Change Of Heart
by That Dragon Kid
Summary: Suddenly, the Torchwood Team find themselves in each other's shoes, thanks to an odd black pyramid. Can they figure out how to reverse the process before they're stuck in the wrong bodies for good?
1. Chapter 1

**Please note that I do not own Torchwood or its characters. If I did, then you wouldn't see much else other than Jack and Ianto :) **

**I don't know how people will enjoy this story. It may seem confusing…but it is fun to write xD It's set after 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang', but before 'Reset', so everyone is alive and well :3 **

**Please review if you wish; all comments are greatly appreciated =D **

**~ Dragon**

**A Change of Heart**

"Jack … you dropped it in the water."

"I'll fish it out, don't worry."

"It's malfunctioning!"

"Oh, shit."

"Jack, it's turned blue!"

"I can see that, Gwen!"

"Do something!"

"Oh bugger, now it is showering sparks. Great. That's all we need."

"How the hell do we fix this?"

_**Two days earlier**_

The rift alarm beeped insistently.

"We've got rift activity just north of the city!" Tosh called out to nobody in particular. She knew everyone could hear her. Sure enough, in a matter of moments, Jack was out of his office, buckling his belt, straightening his braces, smoothing down his hair. Tosh smirked quietly to herself. _Ianto will come out now, waiting a few minutes, just so it seems that he and Jack haven't been…doing anything. _

Sure enough, Ianto scooted out of Jack's office, his hair perfect, his suit immaculate, but his cheeks still coloured red.

The three team mates made their way to the boardroom, where a very bored-looking Owen was already lounging in his chair, and a flustered Gwen was flapping about something that nobody really cared about.

The rest of Torchwood Three took their seats as Jack strode to the head of the table, placing his hands on the glass top and leaning forwards, as if to share juicy gossip.

"It seems to be feeding from something that we can't see; we've got to try and find out what. And we need to find out what it is, obviously. It must have just dropped through the rift," Jack frowned as he thought something over. "Somebody's been playing with our toys."

"How can you tell?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow. Jack's gaze flickered to her, to Ianto, then to all of them.

"I can always tell," Jack said, a grin spreading across his face. "Come on, guys. We're going to go raid Toys 'R Us."

-x-x-x-

He hadn't been kidding.

Jack stood proudly in front of the automatic doors, hands on hips. He looked like…well, like a little kid about to enter a toy store. The shop was quite far from Cardiff, actually, though Jack had kept up a long stream of banter in the SUV so nobody really noticed the time passing.

Owen turned to Ianto, an eyebrow raised. Ianto shrugged his shoulders, baffled. Gwen frowned at the gaudy lettering above the doors, and Tosh just stood, clutching her PDA.

"Well," Jack said finally, "Let's go find us an alien device!" He breezed into the shop, and his team looked at each other helplessly before following him inside. Owen muttered something about having to piss, and stalked off by himself, grumbling beneath his breath.

Jack skipped down the various aisles, his face beaming. Ianto thought, worried, that Jack knew the layout of this store a little _too _well.

"Now, if I were an alien device in a toy store, where would I hide…?" Jack thought to himself.

He stopped abruptly in the middle of a collection of Tintin memorabilia. The American knelt on the floor, and, when Tosh, Gwen and Ianto peered around him, they saw two people laying flat out, a strange, black object set in the middle of them.

The first person to meet the eye was a young woman, maybe in her late twenties. Something about her awkward position made Jack think that she was caught off-guard; fainted, perhaps. He gave her a quick go-over, before being satisfied that she was alive and breathing. The second person was a man, about thirty-five, with a clean-shaven face, but clothes that looked like they'd just been torn off the back of a hobo. Jack winced as he prodded the man, and was reassured that he, too, was alive.

He then turned to the strange black object. It was the size of a tennis ball, though it was shaped more like a pyramid. At the large, flat base, an aberrant liquid seemed to swirl, two lights floating amongst the grey matter. Jack picked it up, looking it over once, before turning to his team. Owen had rejoined the others, his arms folded, his face a blank mask.

"Lets go," Jack said simply, seeming slightly disappointed at having to leave the toy store so soon. After a quick sweep of his team, Jack strode off, whilst Gwen and Tosh moved the two people to somewhere where they would be more comfortable (bean bag chair aisle).

The five people crammed into the SUV, and Jack again began babbling, thrusting the pyramid object at Owen in the seat next to him.

-x-x-x-

Callista Holmes woke up with a screaming headache. She sat up slowly, peering around herself. She was sitting in a bean bag, her butt so far down she was brushing the floor. She leapt to her feet, lurching forwards suddenly. Her torso suddenly felt a lot bulkier. She raised a hand to run her fingers through her hair, and screamed.

Her hand met the short, spiky hair of her husband.

Ieuan Holmes jerked awake at the sound of his wife screaming. He didn't remember much; only picking an odd, pyramid-shaped toy from a shelf, and then everything going black.

He turned to reassure his wife that everything was ok, when his mouth dropped open.

He was looking at himself.

His body raised its head, fear streaking across the eyes as dark as peat pools. "Ieuan?" The man whispered, eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Why am I looking at myself?"

**Basically, a body switchover. **

**One person's mind in another's body.**

**Can't turn out well, can it? xD**

**I was playing with the title for this fic, but settled eventually. **

**Check soon for updates!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! =D**

**Note, I don't own Torchwood. If I did, Ianto and Jack would be skipping through a flower field every day. xD **

**Sometime interesting will happen, so stay tuned xD **

The Torchwood Three team exploded into the Hub in a mass of excitement and wonder. In the middle of the drive back, the pyramid had opened, to reveal some sort of miniature black hole. Owen had held the object as far away from his face as possible the rest of the way back.

By the time the pyramid had been placed on the boardroom table, and the five Torchwood members were huddled around it, the sides had closed up again, and the two lights which had been visible before sat in a solemn stillness in one corner.

"What is it?" Gwen breathed. She couldn't help but think the odd, reflective device was beautiful, in a way. Owen scowled at her.

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be standing here looking at it like a bunch of gorms, would we?" Owen snapped, his expression sour. He'd make a lemon seem like the sweetest fruit on earth. Gwen narrowed his eyes at him, looking up at Jack.

Jack was gazing at Ianto, but snapped out of it as soon as he saw Gwen was looking. He cleared his throat, before continuing to talk.

"What we're looking at here," Jack said, "Is a basic body-changeover device. It was created by a race called the Hirlak; very unfriendly things. Make one comment about their serpentine heads and suddenly you're public enemy number one. They use these babies to live life in each other's shoes, to be able to see the world from another's eyes…it's supposed to change one's perspective on the world."

"You've seen one before?" Ianto asked. Jack turned to grin at him, an eyebrow raised.

"I've tinkered with one, yes. Never again am I going into a Weevil. Boy, what a time that was. I remember-"

"Anyway. What do we do with it?" Gwen shook her head as Jack turned to pout at her. Jack swallowed before continuing.

"Just put it in the archives. But whatever you do, don't look directly into that black hole thing," Jack finished explaining, just as the pyramid opened again. The five members of Torchwood immediately peered over to look at it, curious.

The whole world went white as the five people fell to the floor.

-x-x-x-

_What the…?_ Owen sat up, rubbing his head and groaning. He'd smacked the back of his skull off of the boardroom table, and it was smarting terribly. He paused as he felt a ponytail.

Clenching his fists, the doctor stood up, his eyes quickly sweeping the room. Below his feet, Gwen lay, and next to her, Jack. Ianto lay with his arm across Jack's butt, and to the left of him…Owen cried out in surprise as he saw his own body.

_But if my body's there…_Owen thought, panic building in his body, _then who am I in? _Owen slowly brought his hands to his chest, cupping them. He groaned, squeezing gently and then letting go.

"I'm in Tosh's body…great."

-x-x-x-

Toshiko awoke to find her arm strewn across Jack's buttocks. She drew it back in embarrassment.

Toshiko then sat up groggily, stretching her arms in front of her. She remembered looking into something dark…then nothing. She opened her eyes, and then froze.

She was looking at the arms of a trim, tidy suit. She swore she saw Ianto wearing this only that morning. Her hand fluttered to her face, and she felt the spiky tips of stubble beginning to grow back.

Her eyes full of fear, Tosh looked up to see herself.

"Who…?" Tosh asked, trailing off. Her body jumped in surprise, then scowled unattractively. "Owen. It's Tosh." She said finally, and her body's head nodded.

"You're in Ianto?" Owen said, his sarcastic tones not fitting in well with Tosh's voice. "Great. I wonder who the hell got my body."

-x-x-x-

Ianto flexed his fingers, opening his eyes and spotting Gwen, still unconscious. He immediately got up, only to yell out in surprise.

He saw himself and Tosh, standing awkwardly, conflict buzzing in the air. His mouth dropped open for a moment, before he realised he must have looked foolish.

_If my body is there, _Ianto concluded, _then where am I?_ Ianto slowly reached for his crotch, before drawing his hand back suddenly. His face flushed; Ianto looked at his sleeves. His eyes were drawn to the grey material of Jack's greatcoat.

"Jack," Ianto sighed. His head looked up (not Jack's head, his actual head on his actual body) at him, and Tosh's head followed. "Who…?"

"Toshiko," Ianto's body said, defeated.

"Owen," Toshiko's body said, accompanied by a scowl. "And who are you?" Ianto could tell that Owen already knew. Nobody else blushed like Ianto.

"Ianto," Ianto said simply. "This is gonna take some getting used to."

-x-x-x-

Gwen moaned quietly to herself as her head throbbed. She raised her hand to rub it, but stopped as she noted that she was wearing a lab coat.

She stood up slowly, her head peering over the table. She scattered backwards as she saw her own body lying on the floor in front of her. To one side, Ianto, Tosh and Jack looked at her, eyebrows raised. Tosh glared at Gwen, her eyes narrowed.

"Are you Jack or Gwen?" Tosh said. "'Cause either way, my body's screwed."

"Gwen," Gwen said, confused. "And Tosh, what do you mean…?" Tosh scowled again, grunting slightly.

"I am not Tosh. I am Owen. This," Tosh, who was actually Owen, gestured to Ianto, "is Tosh, and this," Owen waved a slender arm in Jack's direction, "is Ianto. We've all switched bodies, Gwen." Gwen gasped slightly, raising a hand to touch her face. She traced the slightly rounded jaw of Owen. Her eyes met with her crotch, and she shifted slightly, uncomfortable. She noted that Tosh, in Ianto's body, was doing the same.

"What are we going to do?" Gwen asked, horrified.

-x-x-x-

_Ouch. That hurt. Why did the pyramid react like that? Oh well, everyone seems to be awake now. _Jack got slowly to his feet, his grin diminishing as his gaze fell upon himself. His jaw swung open. _Woah. That's not good. And since when did my trousers get so tight? That certainly can't be comfortable around my…_Jack grabbed himself suddenly. His eyes widened as a distressed squeak escaped his lips. _Where'd it go? Oh jeez. _

"Jack?" Owen's voice reached Jack's ears. Jack turned to him, putting his hands on his hips. He ran his hands down them, a grin playing across his face. Owen frowned, slapping Jack's hands away. "You never did that in your own body, so don't think that because you're in mine you can feel…me…you…my…your…" Owen trailed off. This was obviously Gwen. In Owen And Jack was in Gwen. Ok. He turned slowly to the rest of his team, trying to keep his eyes off his own body. _Dang, I'm hot. _

"Where's Owen?" Jack asked, and Toshiko raised her hand. Jack blew upwards, sending the thick fringe which hung over Gwen's forehead flickering upwards. "Toshiko?" Ianto's hand waved at Jack from the corner of the boardroom. Jack swallowed. "Where's Ianto?" He demanded, rather possessively. Jack watched his own body raise its head, the chiselled jaw flushed red with embarrassment.

Jack pondered for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face. "I've always wondered what it would be like to kiss myself."

Everybody else groaned, though Ianto, in Jack's body, shifted from one foot to the other, his face looking uplifted.

Owen and Jack, who had now got over the fact he was able to look at himself without using a mirror, had moved to stand in one corner of the room, revelling in their extraordinary new builds. Gwen and Tosh were doing the same, giggling to themselves. Ianto frowned at Tosh. "Hey. Don't touch that." Tosh looked at Ianto's pout, and burst into fits of laughter. Ianto rolled his eyes, before moving over and grabbing Jack.

"What are we going to do, Jack?" He asked desperately, thrusting his hands in the air. Jack blinked, before raising an eyebrow. Somehow, the gesture didn't look right on Gwen's face.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Ianto," Jack said, sending himself up. Ianto rolled his eyes, thinking that Jack's head was anything but little. "We've all just got to look back into the pyramid, and…" Jack peered over at the little black object. His face fell.

"Or wait for it to open up and have a whole bunch of fun in each other's bodies!" Everyone looked at each other, eyebrows knitted together with worry. God knows what Jack meant by that.

**LOL. xD **

**There's some good stuff coming up, including some rather odd relationship problems popping up. And they have to live in each other's shoes whilst they fix the pyramid xD **

**Thanks to everybody who's put this story on their alerts list ^^ **

**More coming very soon! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Note; I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Jack and Ianto would be married, and Owen and Tosh would be skipping merrily with Myfanwy and Janet. :)**

**So here is Chapter 3 ^^**

**Thanks to everyone who's put my story on their alert list, and to all who have reviewed; I'm going to go back to Callista and Ieuan, I think, and try and weave them into this story. It's not just the team who have had a change of heart!**

**Sorry for the long delay, I have been on holiday! :c **

**Oh, just another thing; this story is set after 'Out of Time', but before the events of 'Reset'. **

**~ Dragon**

Ianto cleared his throat as he slipped into Jack's office, a tray of coffee balanced deftly in one hand. Jack looked up at him, beaming. Ianto smiled wanly back, placing Gwen's mug in front of Jack. Jack looked at it intently, before turning to Ianto with a pout. It didn't look right on Gwen's lips.

"This isn't my mug, Ianto," Jack said, stating the obvious. Ianto cleared his throat again.

"I know that, sir…er…ma'am, but seeming as you're in Gwen's body, I thought that…" Ianto trailed off at Jack's frown. He obviously wasn't paying attention. Ianto noted that Jack was running his tongue over his front teeth.

"Jesus!" Jack exclaimed, bringing his index finger to his mouth and prodding the gap between his front teeth experimentally. "It seems smaller when you look at her." Ianto opened his mouth, before closing it again. He had nothing to say to this.

"Do you think we'll be able to open that pyramid again?" Ianto asked, as Jack tossed his hair back. He shrugged in reply.

"Dunno. We'll just have to wait and see."

"But what about those two people we saw before? What'll happen to them? They're in the same situation as us! We've got to help them, too…" Jack leapt up, placing his finger on Ianto's lips.

"Shush. We'll figure it out, don't worry." Jack smiled encouragingly, and Ianto shook his head solemnly.

"Sorry, Jack. It wouldn't seem right…y'know, you're Gwen and all that. Also, I don't see how it's fair that you get to kiss your lips and I don't." Ianto nodded once before turning and swiftly exiting the room, leaving Jack pouting and with the wrong mug in his hand.

Owen, Tosh and Gwen sat at Tosh's workstation, their eyes focused on the pyramid. It had closed up again, and the two lights within it had now split into seven. Owen flicked it angrily, and Tosh slapped him.

"Don't!" Tosh said, her Welsh accent taking her by surprise. She still wasn't used to being in Ianto's body. She looked up to see Ianto walking towards them. She tried to smile encouragingly.

"Jack-oh, wait a minute. Sorry, Ianto," Tosh frowned. She peered over Ianto's shoulder, before scurrying off into Jack's office, the pyramid clutched in one hand, a sheaf of papers in the other. Ianto sighed, running his fingers through his soft brown hair. Gwen watched him with a vague interest through Owen's eyes, whilst Owen growled to himself, shifting around in Tosh's seat. Gwen turned to him, one eyebrow raised.

"What is it, Owen?" She asked vacantly, scratching behind her ear. She looked down at her nails, and Ianto saw the shudder run through her shoulders. Gwen went to delve into her bag next to her workstation, emerging with a nail cleaner. She returned to her previous post, the cleaner well beneath Owen's nails. He was supposed to be a doctor, God's sake. Shouldn't he have short, clean nails?

"I don't know how you girls manage," Owen hissed, adjusting his chest. He turned to glare at Ianto, who was trying to keep his laughter at bay behind his fingers. "And you can stop laughing, Ianto. You're the only one who didn't go through an involuntary and ill-timed sex change."

At this, Ianto flickered a glance in Jack's direction, who was examining his new body thoroughly. Tosh was frantically trying to keep his attention on what she was saying, though Ianto could see Jack staring gloomily at Ianto's body. Ianto shuddered to think what Jack was thinking. "I think Jack was pretty willing," Ianto murmured as Jack discovered Gwen's lipstick in her back pocket. He produced it with a triumphant squeal; the sound of papers and a heavy object being dropped onto a desk soon followed.

Tosh stormed out of Jack's office, her face red, her hair dishevelled. Ianto fought back the urge to straighten her tie and clenched his fists. "He," Tosh said, pointing an accusing finger in Jack's general direction, "is treating this as one big game. He actually thinks we should try to live as each other," Tosh threw her hands in the air, the gesture looking ridiculous with Ianto's body. "Just because he likes being a woman. And likes looking at himself."

"_I_ don't like it," Owen said grumpily, crossing his arms. "I miss Stan." All eyes swivelled to Owen.

"I'm not even going to bother asking who Stan is," Ianto remarked dryly, moving over to stand by Gwen. She looked up at him helplessly, abandoning the nail cleaner on her desk.

"How do we explain this to our neighbours?" Gwen asked, and then gasped. "How do I explain this to Rhys? I mean, I know he knows about Torchwood and all, but if I turned up at home as _Owen_..."

"Oi," Owen piped up, shaking his head.

"Are you guys having fun?" Jack bounded into view, a grin plastered across his face. His arrogance and wide ego did not match up at all with Gwen's body. Owen glared at Jack from Tosh's work station; if looks could kill, Jack would have had to come back to life a few times.

"How can I have fun," Owen said slowly, "when I am in Tosh's body, my tackle has gone, and I have two breasts?"

"You seem to enjoy them when they're on other people," Ianto said, receiving a dirty look from Owen.

"Aw, come on!" Jack pouted, "see the bright side of things! You can finally see life through a woman's eyes, Owen!" Owen groaned at this.

"Great. That's just great, Jack."

"What are we supposed to do about our neighbours?" Gwen asked, Owen's familiar frown setting across her face. Jack smiled. It was not a normal smile. It was a Harkness grin, though it was shadowed by Gwen's features.

"I say that we all have a little fun in each other's bodies. Y'know, just until that thing opens up again. We can all go to each other's apartments, learn a little more about each other…"

"You're just saying that because you want to get Rhys in bed," Owen muttered, much to Jack's delight. Gwen smacked him over the head, hard. Tosh glowered, knowing that when she returned to her body, she'd feel that.

"And then what, Jack? We're not the only ones who have switched lives," Gwen continued, "Those poor people who were in the shop earlier must have changed places, too. What about them?"

Jack's bottom lip stuck out like a stubborn kid. "One night? Pleeease?" He put his hands together in a begging gesture.

"Ugh," Owen rolled his eyes. "Fine. But just for one night. I'd hate to think what it's like to piss with this thing."

"A little too much information there, Owen," Ianto said calmly. He turned to Jack. "I'll be fine with that. As long as you show me where you keep your clothes."

"You know that already, Ianto," Jack said, wiggling an eyebrow. He was distracted by Tosh rattling around in her bag. She withdrew her hand, bringing with it the keys to her apartment. She handed them swiftly to Owen with a small smile. Owen simply pointed Gwen to the autopsy bay, miming a table. He decided to take his car.

Ianto pointed to his pocket, and Tosh drew his keys from the suit jacket. Jack hitched Gwen's bag onto his shoulder, still with a stupid grin plastered across his freckled face.

"Have fun!" He said, waving his fingers and literally skipping out of the Hub. Gwen look at Ianto, a 'what can you do?' expression fleeting across her face. She followed Jack out, followed promptly by Tosh. Owen was last to leave, pausing before going.

"You'll be ok, right, Ianto?" Owen's voice was tinted with concern. A wry smile played on Ianto's lips.

"Careful, Owen," Ianto said, "You almost sounded like you cared then."

-x-x-x-

The sound of the cog wheel door closing echoed around the suddenly empty Hub. Ianto felt alone, even though he could hear Myfanwy rustling above him in her nest. _This is Jack's life, huh. _

Ianto slowly made his way towards Jack's office, picking up a mug of coffee as he went. He quivered suddenly as his nose caught a delicious smell. Dang, it was Jack's 51st century pheromones. Ianto loved the smell of Jack. His office smelt of him, too, and, Ianto guessed, that if he went into Jack's bunk, it would smell good, too. Sure, he'd been in Jack's small bunk before, but he'd never really had time to notice the smell.

Ianto slid into Jack's chair, resting his fists on Jack's desk.

"Hi," Ianto murmured, "I'm Captain Jack Harkness." Ianto giggled quietly to himself at his strong American accent. "Ianto Jones. Ianto," Ianto had always loved the way Jack said his name; almost as if his forename and surname were one word, so to Jack, he was _Iantojones_. Ianto sighed to himself.

"What to do?" Ianto drummed his long fingers on the desk in front of him, his eyes drifting to the drawers to the left of the desk. He swallowed, reaching into his pocket and removing a key. The top drawer was locked, like it always was. Even Ianto had never been allowed to see inside it. Did he dare…could he invade Jack's privacy?

Ianto swallowed his guilt and unlocked the drawer, sliding it open carefully. There wasn't a lot in there; a collection of old papers, frayed and yellowed; oddly, a handful of glass beads; a small, empty box; and a rusty old tin. Ianto pursed his lips, before opening it carefully.

The smell of old paper reached Ianto's nostrils, and he was careful as he removed the many folded items. Many were photographs of Jack in uniform, smiling boldly at the camera. Another was of Jack standing with a beautiful woman in a wedding gown, his hand placed protectively on her shoulder. Jack had been married once?

Ianto replaced the tin where he had found it, clasping his hands together in his lap. Even though he had looked through Jack's private property…Ianto couldn't help but feel betrayed. He'd told Jack so much about his life, but he'd never heard anything in return.

He knew he wasn't the only one; heck, Jack could rattle off many of his lovers by memory, pausing occasionally, his tongue sticking out of his mouth with fierce concentration as he tried to put names to faces. Ianto had left by the time Jack had reached the twenty-third name. He wasn't the only one, but Ianto sometimes wished that Jack saw him as more than a shag; Ianto's feelings for Jack ran far deeper than anything he'd felt for any other person; even, he thought guiltily, Lisa.

Ianto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his mind wandering.

It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-

Owen let himself into Toshiko's apartment, dumping her bag by the door and slamming it shut. He'd never been here before, and he uneasily thought that he actually had no idea where anything was.

He strolled into what he thought was the bedroom; he guessed correctly, and he busied himself looking through all of Tosh's belongings. After discarding underwear at his feet and throwing jumpers over his head, Owen went over to Tosh's bedside cabinet. He frowned as he picked up a birthday card.

"Odd," Owen said, turning it over, before looking inside. He remembered sending this months, perhaps even little over a year ago.

"_To Tosh, Happy Birthday, Love Owen_"

Owen pursed his lips before setting the card back down. He ambled into the kitchen, drinking milk straight from the carton, and allowing his eyes to graze the various magnets and papers which were stuck to the fridge. He paused as he spotted a photograph of himself and Tosh. A smile flickered briefly on Owen's face, before he set the milk down and groaned.

He needed to piss pretty badly; he hadn't dared attempt at the Hub.

"C'mon, Owen, have some balls…" Owen muttered to himself, before sniggering. "Got none, that's why." He took a deep, shuddering breath before entering the bathroom.

It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-

Tosh edged her way slowly into Ianto's apartment, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. It was as neat and organised as Ianto himself. Everything had its place, and nothing was out of line. It was painfully neat.

She removed her suit jacket, placing it carefully on one of the hooks by the door; as Tosh did so, she could imagine Ianto doing the same. Her face turned up into a small smile. Ianto, before she had left, had explained to her where he kept everything.

"The suit I was going to wear tomorrow is at the far end of the wardrobe," Ianto had said, his serious tone diminished slightly by Jack's American accent. "There is a jar of instant in the top left-hand cupboard, though I do not like it at all and I would prefer you try to use the coffee machine," Ianto had taken a pause as he pondered over something. "Actually, just use the instant. I'm not saying that this would happen to you…but Jack had a bit of a disaster with the machine."

Tosh shook her head fondly, removing the jar from the cupboard and spooning some of its contents into a mug. She poured milk and hot water over it, stirring it carefully until she had a cup of bog-standard coffee. Tosh sipped it thoughtfully, looking around Ianto's kitchen. It was sparsely decorated, nothing like Tosh's mess of cups and notes. Ianto had nothing stuck to his fridge apart from three photographs, which Tosh moved over to look at.

The first was of a woman, a man, and two children, smiling gleefully at the camera. Tosh unstuck the picture, turning it over to see if there was any writing or annotations on it.

"_Rhiannon, Johnny, Mica and David" _

Toshiko had no idea who these people were; she assumed they were Ianto's family, judging by the woman's similarity to Ianto. The second was of Ianto, Tosh could tell, though he looked only about eight in the picture. He stood solemnly with a girl – his sister- and what seemed to be his parents. Tosh replaced the first photograph where she had gotten it from, and now turned her attention to the third.

It had obviously been a spur-of-the-moment thing, where Jack had been caught off guard. It had been taken in Jack's office, judging by the desk which Jack was sitting on, and Jack himself had his mouth open, as if he were saying something. His eyebrows were pulled together in an attempt at being annoyed, but Tosh could see the fond feelings behind Jack's eyes for the photographer.

Tosh knew that Jack had had many lovers before Ianto, and she couldn't help but feel protective of Ianto; she didn't want to see him hurt or disappointed. She didn't want his heart to be broken.

Toshiko sighed, leaning against the countertop, her arms folded, her eyes closed.

It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-

Gwen was sat on Owen's sofa, her eyes drinking in everything around her. The flat was a mess, just like it had been when Gwen and Owen had…well. That was something Gwen wanted to put behind her. Owen had found Diane, and all traces of his relationship with Gwen had disappeared. Sometimes Owen looked at Gwen as if he blamed her for Diane leaving.

It wasn't her fault he'd fallen for Diane.

Gwen sighed, running a hand through her now short hair. She hated not having the feeling of her hair softly brushing her cheeks and shoulders; she kept awkwardly touching her face, as if to tuck her hair behind her ears, but lowering her fingers as she touched rough sideburns.

Owen had nothing on display in his flat apart from clothes strewn around, nothing that Gwen could look at to pass the time.

Nothing that would help her understand him better.

Gwen missed Rhys, and she sighed again. She wondered what on earth Jack was doing.

It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-

Jack edged slowly into Gwen's flat, a grin plastered on his face.

"Hello, love," Rhys said, ambling over and kissing him on the cheek. Jack gave him a wry smile, taking the Welshman's hand. This would be fun. Jack couldn't help himself; though he cared for Ianto a great deal – perhaps even loved him – he wouldn't miss this opportunity.

He just wouldn't tell anyone about it.

"Hows about we...uhh…" Jack paused, a frown threatening to creep onto his face. He had no idea how Gwen usually acted around Rhys.

"Make dinner?" Rhys suggested, smiling pleasantly.

"I was thinking of making something else, but ok," Jack said, and Rhys flushed, before grinning.

"Oh-ho," The two people edged slowly into the bedroom, and Jack's mind wandered.

-x-x-x-

A harsh slap sounded in the bedroom.

"How stupid do you think I am, Harkness?"

**Sorry for the lame ending for this chapter xD**

**More coming soon, and some nice Jack/Ianto stuff. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Note; I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Jack and Ianto would have a dog called Norman, and Owen and Tosh would be eating sandwiches in the boardroom. xD **

**Thank you to everybody who has reviewed, favourite-ed and subscribed to both this story and myself; it means a lot =D **

**I am so glad that you guys are enjoying this fic just as much as I'm enjoying writing it. **

**I have decided that this fic is after 'Meat', but before 'Reset', and most likely before 'Adam'. This is definite =D**

**Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 4 =)**

**~ Dragon**

Jack, a look of mock horror on his face, raised a hand to his cheek, which was rapidly changing colour from a pastel cream to a flushed red.

"That hurt!" He pouted at Rhys, sticking out his bottom lip. Rhys scowled, his hands balling up into fists by his side.

"It is taking," Rhys breathed deeply, "all of my self control _not _to sock you another one right now, Harkness. The only thing stopping me is that you look just like Gwen. You're a lucky bugger."

Jack grinned triumphantly, flipping his hair and batting an eyelid. "You know you can't resist me," He said. Rhys' eyebrows knitted together with what seemed to be concern.

"God help that Ianto Jones fellow of yours," He muttered, before taking another deep breath. He lowered himself slowly onto the bed, the springs sagging in complaint as he did so. "How _exactly _did this happen?"

"It was the pyramid," Jack said, nodding wisely. He had moved to stand by the door, just in case Rhys lost his temper again. Rhys groaned quietly, cupping his face in his left palm, running a hand across the fine stubble which had begun to grow there.

"How long will this last for?" Rhys asked, also asking himself what on earth the 'pyramid' was, staring pointedly at Jack's feet, before dragging his eyes up to meet Jack's. Jack pursed his lips, before shaking his head apologetically.

"The pyramid needs to open up again; from what Toshiko worked out, it opens every two days, so it _should_," Jack gestured with his hands, "open tomorrow. If we're lucky."

"Great," Rhys said sarcastically, "What do we do in the mean time?"

"I suggest we go get some couple's counselling," Jack said. It took him less than a minute to dive out of the door and dart straight to the Hub when Rhys lunged for him.

-x-x-x-

Ianto jerked awake to the sound of the cog-wheel door opening. Bleary-eyed, he stretched his arms, only to find they reached walls. Walls? Since when could he touch both walls in his apartment from his bed?

Oh, yeah. He was in Jack's bed. And in Jack's body. Careful not to hit his head on the way out, Ianto peered out of Jack's bunk, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He caught a glimpse of Jack across the Hub, frowning, a red hand-print bored into his face. Ianto shook his head solemnly, climbing from Jack's bed. He was dressed in Jack's pyjamas, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly at the smell coming from them. It was irresistible.

Ianto sighed sadly, padding quietly across the Hub towards Jack. Though he felt no attraction towards Gwen, he knew that Jack was beneath her skin, and he cautiously pulled Jack close to him. He felt small and warm, wrapped up in Ianto's arms, and Ianto felt uneasy that Gwen's body fitted so snugly to Jack's.

Jack leaned into Ianto, one hand on Ianto's back, and Ianto could feel his smile. "Dang, I smell good," Jack breathed, and Ianto sighed, playfully pushing Jack away from him. He moved back to stand in Jack's office, contemplating the black pyramid which still sat in the centre of Jack's desk. Ianto saw, to great relief, that he had remembered to lock Jack's drawer, and had replaced the key where he had found it.

The grey substance inside the pyramid reminded Ianto of mercury, though the blue-ish coloured lights remained a mystery. Ianto guessed that each light represented one person whose mind had changed bodies, and he also noted that two were glowing brighter than the others. Perhaps the pyramid sensed who was awake?

Ianto heard Jack drift in beside him, and saw his small hand reach out to take the pyramid.

"It's heavy," Jack said thoughtfully, weighing the pyramid in his hand. "The Hirlak are obviously a stronger race than we are. Each one carries one of these babies in their pockets everywhere they go."

"How exactly do they change your perspective on the world?" Ianto pondered, "I mean, sure, I'm seeing the world through your eyes and all, but there's nothing that actually makes me see _you _differently…"

Jack looked up at Ianto, putting the pyramid back on his desk, and smiled slightly. He knew what happened. He didn't want to tell Ianto just yet, though. He'd find out in a couple of hours. "What time is it, Yan?" Jack said, yawning widely. Ianto blinked, shrugged, then peered round the office door to look at the clock.

"Midnight."

"Oh, jeez," Jack sighed. "Did I wake you up, Ianto?"

"No," Ianto lied, before turning away. "I am going to put some proper clothes on now," he announced. He did not see Jack's eyebrows rise, but sensed that they had. "Do not follow me," Ianto said, and again, he sensed Jack's pout rather than saw it.

Once Ianto had gone, Jack turned back to the pyramid, his attention drawn to the lights. Three were now lighter than the others; either another member of his team was awake, or one of those other people.

Jack strolled to Gwen's desk, bringing with him the pyramid, and occupied himself by rummaging through her drawers, smiling blissfully when he found her small jar of instant coffee. He buried it again, not wanting Ianto to see it. He continued to root through Gwen's stuff, his attention straying from the pyramid for only a moment. He saw now that all of the lights were bright, and were bobbing around in the liquid, like corks in water.

What he did not see was one of the lights flicker and die out completely.

-x-x-x-

"Ieuan," Callista Holmes whispered to her husband, her shoulders shaking as she tried hard not to cry. They had driven straight home from the toy store, abandoning their search for a toy horse for Callista's niece's birthday, and since then, the couple had been sitting in solemn silence on opposite ends of the sofa, trying hard not to let their gazes stray upon each other.

Ieuan had drifted off to sleep about an hour ago, and though Socks, their cat, had sat herself on Callista's feet, Callista felt herself feeling lonely. Her hands were knotted together in her lap, and she cringed as she touched the greasy material of Ieuan's jeans. Of course, she loved him dearly, but she did wish he'd change his clothes after a day at the garage. Especially now she'd be wearing them.

Callista seized the denim in her hands, her eyes widening. It was real. She hadn't been dreaming. She really had been put in Ieuan's body.

She felt hot tears slide down her face, and she felt ashamed, though she couldn't really help it. She didn't want to be Ieuan Holmes, aged thirty-three; she was Callista Holmes, aged twenty-nine.

Callista didn't know how she was going to get her body back. She looked at Ieuan, who had scrunched himself into one corner of the sofa, soft blonde hair obscuring his face. Callista felt the shock of dark hair that had once sat on her husband's head, and she frowned.

_Don't know how much longer I can go. Seeing her every day drives me mad, but I love Callie, too. _Callista gasped. "Ieuan?" She turned to look at him, but he was still fast asleep. Odd. She could have sworn she heard him whisper to her.

_Her touch sends electricity down my spine, but it can't last. Can it? Callie is my world, but Joan, oh jeez, Joan, she makes my world spin round. _

Bile rose in Callista's throat as she realised she was hearing Ieuan's thoughts. She peered over at him in shock, putting a hand over her mouth.

He wouldn't.

Would he?

Callista shook her head numbly. Her life was over. Everything she hoped, everything she dreamed of; a future with Ieuan, having children…all gone, because of that damned pyramid.

The young woman walked slowly towards the kitchen, sliding open a drawer and pulling out a long, sharp knife.

Perhaps if she set her soul free, she could get back to her own body. She didn't even think of what would happen to Ieuan as she plunged the blade of the knife into the depths of her heart.

-x-x-x-

It had been half an hour, and Jack was bored. He had successfully unearthed a wedding dress catalogue from Gwen's drawer, and was gazing intently at it when Ianto finally appeared, wearing the usual Jack entourage, and made his way swiftly over to the coffee machine, where he worked for a few moments, before appearing next to Jack with two mugs of freshly brewed coffee. This time round, he used his own mug, and placed Jack's in front of him, to which he was responded with a gap-toothed beam.

Jack brought up the reports on the pyramid, and found that Torchwood had not run in with this kind of thing before. "I used one when I was in the Time Agency," Jack retorted, referring to the Hirlak pyramid, tapping away furiously at Gwen's keyboard, sipping coffee. He stopped mid-type, a delicate shudder rippling through his spine. "Y'know, Ianto, you make orgasmic coffee."

"I know," Ianto said smugly, draining his cup and putting it down. The cog-wheel door opened, and Owen – in Tosh's body – stepped through the doors. He appeared to have had problems getting dressed, as he was wearing men's clothes, which looked ridiculous on Tosh's tiny frame, but neither Jack nor Ianto commented.

"I am sick to death of these things," Owen snapped, gesturing wildly to his chest. Jack peered down momentarily, before shrugging.

"I kinda like it," He replied, to find two pairs of eyes staring at him.

"Yeah, well, you would, wouldn't you…" Owen muttered, his eyes straying to the pyramid. "Have you christened the pyramid anything yet, Ianto?" Owen asked, referring to Ianto's habit of naming the alien artefacts. They had the 'Life Knife', and the 'Risen Mitten', though the latter only worked when said in a Welsh accent.

"I was playing on calling it the Transfigure Tomb," Ianto said, and Jack clapped, laughing.

"Oh, Ianto Jones, you are _brilliant_," Jack shook his head in disbelief, smiling. Owen rolled his eyes, taking the 'Transfigure Tomb' in both his hands. He peered at it, frowning.

"Wasn't there seven lights in here before?" He asked quizzically, turning the pyramid upside-down, as if the seventh light would appear miraculously before him. The silver liquid inside trickled down the dark, stone-like material of the outside of the pyramid, the six remaining lights flowing with it, but the seventh was most definitely gone. Ianto leant over Jack to look at it, his eyes widened.

"Did you not notice, Jack?" He demanded, turning to Jack, who put both hands up and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I was kinda busy," He said, gesturing to Gwen's open desk. Owen groaned, dumping Toshiko's bag on the floor, which he had thought to bring with him from her apartment.

"Jack! God knows what's happened to whoever that was!" Ianto wailed, both his hands raking through his hair.

"Probably snuffed it," Owen said, and Ianto turned to look at him, his face worried. "What?"

"Don't worry, Ianto, Owen. We can contact Tosh and Gwen, get them to come in. Then we can sort this out," Jack looked to Ianto, who was now sitting down, "and then we can get back to our own bodies." Before, Jack added silently, the thoughts come through. He knew that hearing the person's thoughts could be scary; heck, he just had to ask Tosh, who had been given a mind-reading pendant the previous year. The pyramid was much the same, only instead one was put into the other person's shoes.

He prayed that this had not happened yet to the couple at the toy store; Jack especially hoped that it had not happened to the other members of his team.

Some stones were best left unturned.

-x-x-x-

_Don't know how much longer I can handle it. Loving him so much, and getting nothing in return. I try to tell him, but I just get pushed away. He doesn't understand that I can't live without him. Whenever he goes away or dies, my heart screams. I'm scared that he won't come back. I want him to realise I need him. I love him. _

Toshiko sat up, gasping, her eyes widening. She looked around herself, and frowned. She could have sworn she'd heard Ianto's voice. It reminded her, to her own unease, of when she had the mind pendant.

_He's had so many before me, so many loves. He's lived a thousand lives, and I'm just one of those insignificant, part-time shags he's got to occupy his time. He needs to know that without him, my world would end. He is my everything. Without him, what have I got?_

Tosh got up, rubbing her head. It was definitely inside her head. Was she…was she hearing Ianto's thoughts? Her hand moved to her neck, but, of course, she'd crushed the mind pendant the previous year. She'd thought it a curse.

So why could she hear Ianto? And such heart-wrenching thoughts at that, like they were his deepest secrets.

She didn't know, and that scared Tosh. Only one thing to do. Hurriedly getting dressed, having a quick shower beforehand, Tosh darted out the door, heading for the Hub.

She had to ask Jack.

-x-x-x-

The three men – though two were in women's bodies - in the Hub looked up as Tosh walked into the Hub, her eyes wide, her lips pressed together. She seemed genuinely scared, and Jack immediately went over to her.

"What's wrong, Tosh?" He asked, more tenderness in his voice than he'd intended. Of course, he was concerned, but Tosh was in Ianto's body, and Jack forgot, for a moment, that this was not Ianto. Tosh peered past Jack, and nodded to Jack's office.

"Can…can we talk? In private?" Tosh whispered, and Jack nodded, moving aside to let Tosh go first. He looked over to Ianto and Owen, who were frowning at him, a '_whatisit?_' expression on both their faces.

"One sec," Jack mouthed, before following Tosh into his office. Tosh turned to him, tears swelling in her eyes.

"Am I going mad, Jack?" She asked, and Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "I heard…I heard Ianto's voice in my head. It was so real…like they were my thoughts." Jack sighed. It was time to come clean.

"It's a side effect of the pyramid. It's a similar device to that mind pendant you received, only these are deep thoughts you hear. And you hear them in the person's body," Jack explained, holding back the urge to ask what Tosh had heard. Tosh gasped.

"So…I heard what Ianto really thinks about?" Jack nodded. Tosh gasped again, a hand raised to her mouth. "Oh, God. Oh, God…" Tears trickled down her cheeks, and her body shook. Jack's heart tugged painfully. He couldn't stand to see Ianto's body cry.

"Hey, now," He said, drawing Tosh into his arms. Gwen's small build meant that Jack's arms were around Ianto's – or Tosh's – torso, instead of the shoulders. Tosh leant into Jack, her breathing muffled by Jack's long, dark hair.

"He really cares about you," Tosh said quietly, and Jack stiffened.

"I-I know…" Jack lied, patting Tosh's back, and going back into the Hub. It would only be a few hours before all of the team would start hearing each other's thoughts.

Ianto greeted Jack quietly, and Owen handed the pyramid over. Jack took it thoughtfully, turning it over in his hands.

The cog-wheel door rolled open, and all eyes looked at it. Tosh came to stand by the rest of the team.

Gwen walked in, her face pale.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"There…" Gwen looked at the floor, horror creeping onto her face. "A woman named Callista Holmes has just reported her husband's suicide."

"So…?"

"So," Gwen retorted, "she was the woman who was in the toy store. Which means her husband is in her body."

"The seventh light…" Ianto said in horror.

"That means," Jack said slowly, "He's stuck in there."

The Torchwood team looked at each other. Things were about to get a lot harder.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note; I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Jack and Ianto's dog called Norman would also be married (to a hamster named Jeremy), and Owen and Tosh would have bought some Pringles to go with their sandwich. **

**I forgot to comment at the end of chapter four, boo D= **

**But there is more coming soon, including some thought-hearing. Gaspeth! =0**

**Thanks again to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing, and a huge thanks to everyone who has subscribed ^^ It means so much to me that people are reading this, and have taken the time to comment. Thank you! =D **

**So, with no further introductions, here is chapter five ^^ **

**~ Dragon**

"Gwen, find out where this Callista Holmes lived. What was her husband's name?" Jack said, after Gwen had broken the news that one of the pyramid's victims had killed themselves.

"Ieuan, I think," Gwen said absent-mindedly, typing something into her computer.

"Right," Jack strode purposely over to Gwen's desk, scooping up the pyramid in one hand. He was about to exit the Hub, but, forgetting he was in Gwen's boots, tripped over a wire.

Everything seemed to turn to slow motion as the pyramid slipped from Jack's grasp.

"No!" Ianto dived forwards, but he was too late. The pyramid fell with a 'splash' into the shallow pool at the base of the water tower, spraying Ianto with a face-full of water.

"Jack…" Tosh's mouth dropped open. "You dropped it in the water."

Jack grinned at this, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll fish it out, don't worry." He picked up the pyramid.

Owen frowned as the pyramid seemed to flash in Jack's hands. "It's malfunctioning!" He exclaimed, knocking the pyramid out of Jack's hands.

"Oh, shit," Ianto said, sighing. This was typical Gwen behaviour; apparently, being in her body had rubbed some of her behaviour onto Jack. Gwen was always prone to accidentally releasing alien gases, or accidentally stabbing men…it was all part of the Gwen package.

"Jack, it's turned blue!" Gwen said worriedly, pointing with one finger to the pyramid, which had turned a lovely shade of cobalt.

"I can _see_ that, Gwen," Jack said with a roll of his eyes.

"Do something!" Tosh shrieked, just as the pyramid began to glitter oddly.

"Oh bugger, now it is showering sparks. Great. That's all we need," Owen snapped, dodging out of the way of the sparks which were now being emitted from the pyramid's point.

"How the hell do we fix this?" Jack pondered, the pyramid calming down. All the lights had gone out now.

"Oh, Jack. Now we can't see who is alive and who isn't," Gwen sighed, and Jack pouted at her.

"Well," Owen began to say slowly, "We know that we're all alive. So if we just bring Ieuan Holmes here, then we don't need the lights. Right?"

Everyone slowly agreed with Owen, and the team also agreed that Gwen and Jack would go to collect Ieuan from his home. Toshiko would try and fix the pyramid, or work out why it had stopped, whilst Ianto did the paperwork, and Owen did an autopsy on Callista Holmes' body – or Ieuan's body, when Jack and Gwen returned.

Before he left, Jack nipped over to Ianto, clearing his throat. The Welshman, temporarily an American, looked up in surprise.

"I, uh…" Jack cleared his throat again before continuing, "I just, uh, wanted to let you know that…if…if you ever need to talk about anything, Ianto, I'm here," Jack finished. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Thank you," Ianto said quietly, and Jack smiled, hesitating, before patting Ianto's shoulder, and heading off with Gwen.

He did not hear Ianto's breath catch in his throat, nor did he see the tears fall freely down his face as he went to make coffee.

-x-x-x-

"Sharp left coming up, Jack," Tosh's – or Ianto's – voice came through over Jack's comm, and he tapped his ear.

"Ok. We're pulling up now," Jack replied, and tapped his ear again. He slowed the SUV to a halt in front of a neat, semi-detached place, cursing as he had to slide down in his seat to get to the brake pedal. Though much as he had enjoyed his time as a woman, Jack had to admit that it would be nice to be back in his own body again.

Gwen had these feelings too, and she sighed as the SUV stopped, adjusting her trousers. She couldn't get used to having what Rhys would refer to as 'a tackle', or what Owen referred to as - to Gwen's up-most horror – Stan. It felt like she had a rubber snake or something shoved down there.

As she turned to jump out of the car, something in her mind made her pause.

_Doesn't feel like anything's changing. Each day comes and passes, and it's all the same. Gwen looks at me as if I've done something wrong; I know she enjoyed herself just as much as I did back then. I don't blame her for Diane, but sometimes, the way she looks at me, I bet she thinks I do._

Gwen gasped, her hands shaking. Jack opened the door for her, his face a blank mask, though she saw a line appear on his forehead.

"What's up?" Jack asked, stepping aside so Gwen could exit the car.

"N-nothing…it's just, I could have sworn I just heard Owen…"

Jack pressed his lips together, as if trying to hold back his frown. He did not mention it was a side effect to the pyramid; instead, he nodded towards the house. "We should go get Ieuan, now. Hopefully the police haven't taken him – or her – down to the station yet."

Jack entered the house, telling a tired-looking policeman that he was Torchwood, and watched with slight annoyance as the policeman made a big thing of rolling his eyes.

"Where can I find Callista Holmes?" Jack asked calmly, hands on hips. The policeman frowned at him, before saying something in a thick Scottish accent.

"She's still in the living room there," The man pointed to a closed door, from which you could hear a woman's sobs, "Though I gotta warn you two, this girl's a nutter. Whenever we ask her what her name is, she gives her husband's name instead." The policeman shook his head. "Guess it's post-traumatic stress or whatever they're calling it these days. But in any case, you'll probably want Ieuan Holmes' body. It's where we left it," The last words were of dismissal, and Jack took his cue to enter the living room, Gwen close behind him.

He walked in on Callista – or Ieuan – crying, a young policewoman trying to comfort her, to no avail. She looked up in relief at the sight of Jack and Gwen.

"Oh, you two are Torchwood, yeah?" Jack nodded, and the policewoman blew her fringe up, shuffling towards the door. The room was open-plan, with a kitchen in one corner, and the woman gestured to a body lying on the floor, a knife sticking out of its heart. "That's him. Poor bugger must have had enough. Mrs Holmes here says she woke up and found him like that. Whether she did or not is another matter entirely, but I guess I'll have to leave that to you." With a weak smile, the policewoman exited, and Gwen moved over to sit by the woman, whose sobs had now toned down to sniffs, and that phase where your breathing still catches in your throat, but no tears come, whilst Jack went to deal with the body.

He wrapped it up in a blanket which was hanging on the back of the cream sofa, knowing that if he got blood in the SUV, Ianto would have a field day. He was just extracting the knife and placing it in a sealed bag marked 'Torchwood' where he caught echoes of Gwen's thoughts.

_He's always been there for me, Rhys has, but I can't help but daydream about being with Jack. I think I'm falling in love with him, though it pains me to say it. I've already put Rhys through so much; I've even gone and cheated on him. It's not fair to him. And it's not fair to Ianto, either, because he really has fallen for Jack. If I tell Jack how I really feel, I'm sure it would break poor Ianto's heart. It would break Rhys', too, though I think he knows already. He can see it in my eyes. _

Jack swallowed, his fists clenched. He had buried his feelings for Gwen a long time ago; he admitted, he did find her attractive, but not in the way he found Ianto. Ianto was…Ianto was his. Ianto was his everything, the one he could count on, always. He might have even gone on to say he loved Ianto, but he hadn't loved for a long time, and wanted the right moment to say it. The thing about hearing the thoughts was that they were either new or old; there was no guessing how long somebody's thoughts went back. Jack found himself hoping that these thoughts were fairly old.

Jack snuck a glance at Gwen, who was trying to reassure Ieuan Holmes that everything would be ok.

He shook his head, wrapping up Ieuan's body, and went to take it to the SUV. Gwen followed him with her eyes, taking Ieuan's hand.

"We can help you," She said, smiling. The woman looked at her, swallowing, before nodding.

"You can help Callie, can't you?" Ieuan looked at the floor, his soft blonde hair concealing his face as he did so. Gwen hesitated.

"We're going to do everything we can, Ieuan," She said, pasting a brave smile on her face. Taking Ieuan's hand, she lead him to the SUV, where she sat by him in the back. Jack was quiet the whole way back to the Hub, and Gwen guessed he was mulling over something, though what of she had no idea.

"What's your name?" Ieuan asked, his hands brushing nervously on his skirt.

"My name is…" Gwen trailed off. Did she give Owen's name, or her own? Ieuan would understand; he'd gone through the switchover process, too. "Our team's had a few problems with the pyramid you found, too. My name is Gwen Cooper, and that there," Gwen pointed to her body, "is what I usually look like."

Ieuan smiled for a moment. "Who's in there now?"

"My boss," Gwen said, laughing, and Jack found himself laughing too, though he heard more of Gwen's thoughts.

_I know Rhys wants a kid, but what can I do? I want to give him what he wants, but Torchwood doesn't do maternity leave. I wish I could give him back what he gives me. He's always loved me. _

Jack pulled up in the usual parking spot, hopping out of the car, before waiting for the other two to get out. He ran a hand through his long hair, closing his eyes. He really needed to talk to Ianto, but it would have to wait until this whole mess was over.

-x-x-x-

Toshiko had her head in her hands at her usual workstation. The pyramid was driving her crazy; none of the usual tests were working. It was impenetrable. That, and Owen felt the desiring need to talk constantly, which Tosh would not have minded, had she been in her own body.

"And I don't know why they bother making these programmes if they know nobody watches them. I mean, sure, maybe if there is nothing else on, and you have a lot of time to kill, To Buy or Not to Buy is fine, but if you're just looking for something good? I mean, jeez, call me a complainer, but I don't see the point…" Tosh drowned Owen out by thinking about what she had heard earlier. She had always seen Ianto as one to bottle up what he was thinking; she knew he didn't like being made a fuss of, and yet, she had no idea he felt so deeply for Jack.

_Maybe I should tell him, but I don't want to cause a fuss. Maybe he'll ignore it, thinking it's a joke. Maybe he'll get angry. Maybe I am just a shag. Maybe I'm nothing. Maybe I'm just one of those things he'll throw away when he gets bored of and not give a second glance to. It hurts, being caught up in these thoughts. Not that anyone cares about what I think. I'm just the tea-boy. _

Tosh groaned quietly, so Owen couldn't hear her, and watched Ianto faff on with his coffee machine. Tosh vowed then that she would appreciate everything Ianto did. She felt guilty for hearing his thoughts, and she felt awful that she hadn't seen how insignificant he felt. He wasn't just a tea-boy. He was a friend, someone who Tosh could tell things she couldn't tell anyone else. Ianto listened to her, and never told a soul any of her secrets. He needed someone to be a friend to _him_, to listen to _him_.

"Have you got anywhere with that thing, or are you just gonna sit there groaning all day?" Tosh raised her head at the sound of Owen's voice, and she shrugged.

"I can't seem to do anything with it. It's impenetrable," Tosh fell silent as Ianto approached with three mugs of coffee. He placed them on Tosh's desk, his eyes falling onto the pyramid, whose grey liquid, now cobalt blue, had seemed to turn to stone.

"Thank you," She said quietly, taking a sip. Owen grunted, plodding off to the Autopsy Bay as soon as Jack strode purposely through the door, carrying something wrapped in a blanket over his shoulder. Following him was Gwen, whose hand was gripping the shoulder of a nervous and sad-looking young woman. The woman was not a prisoner, and Gwen pushed her gently towards Ianto and Tosh.

"Um…" The woman's hands were entwined in her blouse, and she looked at the floor. "My name is…Ieuan Holmes…" Ieuan looked up, and spotted the pyramid sitting on Tosh's desk. His eyes widened. "That's the…the thing that…" He trailed off as Ianto nodded.

"We know. It happened to us, too," Ianto said, his face ashen. "We don't know when it will open again, because our boss accidentally dropped it in the water."

"Oh," Ieuan said. He seemed to think something through before continuing. "If I were to look into that black hole thing again, what would happen? I mean, would I just…go? Would Callie get her body back? Because that's all that matters. As long as Callie is safe…"

"We don't know," Tosh admitted, "but we're trying to find out. As soon as we can run some tests on this thing, we can tell you." She couldn't help but feel her heart tug a little at Ieuan's obvious care for his wife. She saw Ianto press his lips together.

"I'm going to go put this paperwork on Jack's desk," Ianto mumbled, heading over to Jack's office. Tosh's gaze followed him, before it snapped back to Ieuan. She smiled weakly, before turning back to the pyramid.

-x-x-x-

Ianto felt hot tears cascading down his cheeks, and he wiped them away angrily. He couldn't help it. Would Jack say the same things about him if they were in this situation?

Ianto didn't know. He sank into Jack's chair, resting his head on the desk in front of him.

_I don't want to hurt him. I can't let myself get in too deep, but I can feel myself falling. I haven't felt this way for a long time. He makes my heart soar, makes me feel things I didn't think I would ever feel again. I don't want him to hurt, though. I know that each time I die, he dies a little, too. But I always come back. I hope he knows that. I'll always come back for him. No matter where I am, I'll come back for him. _

Ianto's heart skipped a beat. He had heard Jack in his mind, he was sure of it.

Was Jack…was Jack thinking about him?

_Some days, I look into the night sky, and I don't see the stars; I see his face, shining down at me. I need to tell him about my past, I know. He shares everything with me, and I'm just shutting him out. Ianto doesn't deserve that. I gotta tell him the truth about everything that's happened to me. When I'm ready, I'll tell him. I owe him that much. I owe him everything. He saved me. _

"Jack…"

-x-x-x-

Owen cleared his throat, pulling on his lab coat and a pair of surgical gloves. On the table on front of him, the body that had once been Ieuan Holmes lay, a sharp, ugly mark revealing where he – or she, as Callista had been inside him at the time – had stabbed himself. The cruel cut made Owen shudder; he didn't know how people could have the guts to do things like that to themselves.

He wondered where Jack and Gwen had gone; he knew Tosh was upstairs with Ieuan Holmes. They'd managed to keep him from seeing his dead body, from seeing his wife lying cold and still, though he'd seen it already in his own home.

Owen sighed, shaking his head, picking up a scalpel, and preparing to make the first incision.

_I need someone to realise I'm special. Nobody's seen it yet. I'm sitting here, crying out to be noticed, but everyone just walks on by. Nobody cares about me; nobody wants to be my friend. I'm nothing. Especially to Owen. I need to him see who I really am. I need him to see that I long for him. I love him. But he doesn't care about me. So I'll just wait. Maybe, one day, he'll find me. _

His breathing quickened, and Owen realised that his eyes had widened. He swallowed nervously, peering over his shoulder. He could have sworn…he could have sworn that Tosh had just spoken to him. But then, how was that possible? He was in Tosh's body.

"What…" Owen breathed, returning quickly to his work as Jack came to lean against the chain which stopped one from falling into the pit that was the Autopsy Bay.

"Got anything?" Jack asked, peering over at the body, a crease appearing in his forehead. "Ouch."

"Yeah. And I haven't got anything yet, but…" Owen pressed his scalpel into the flesh of the corpse to be greeted by a flash of light. He cried out in surprise, scattering backwards, and the small orb flew up, hovered for a moment, before shooting out of the door and up the side of the water tower. Jack yelped in alarm, racing after it, but, defeated, craned his neck to follow it till it disappeared through the ceiling. He ran back to Owen, who was now crumpled on the floor.

"Owen? You okay, buddy?" Jack leapt over the chain, landing nimbly on two feet. Owen rolled over, frowning.

"That was weird," He gasped, sitting up and looking at Jack. "Where did it…?"

"It left," Jack said, his expression frantic.

"You two," The sound of an American accent forced the two men to look to the door, where Ianto stood, his eyebrows knitted together. "Ieuan's unconscious."

-x-x-x-

The five Torchwood members stood around the woman's body, the pyramid forgotten behind them. Jack sought out Ianto's hand beside him, and Ianto did not yank it away. Gwen was rubbing her hands together nervously, and Tosh was fidgeting with her tie. Owen stood with a sullen expression on his face.

"Well. What does this tell us?"

"That we are not good hosts," Ianto said, deadpan. "Our guests are falling asleep."

"Anyway. Whatever has left Ieuan Holmes' body seems to be having an effect on this body; we don't know what it was, and we don't know how. Anybody got any ideas?" Jack said, almost desperately. Nobody said anything for a long while.

"Maybe…it was Callista Holmes. And then she…left. 'Cause her body wasn't free," Ianto shrugged. "Just a thought."

"Nice one," Jack grinned, pondering a moment. "But that means Ieuan Holmes is trapped in there," Jack pointed with his thumb at the unconscious body, "and if he looks into the pyramid, the most likely scenario would be that his soul would leave, too. 'Cause his body's dead."

"So it's either stay a woman for good, or die. Not much of a choice there," Owen remarked, to face angry glares coming from both Toshiko and Gwen. Jack tutted, shaking his head, in a typical Gwen fashion. Ianto sniggered into his fingers, but nobody else caught the reference. Jack smiled slyly at Ianto, winking.

Suddenly, something groaned, as if in pain. All eyes swivelled to the pyramid.

"It's opening!" Jack cried, "Don't look into it!" He didn't know what would happen if anyone did.

But the black hole seemed to have something which drew the eyes towards it, and, as the five members of Torchwood Three looked into its heart, each passed out, with a last, lingering thought in their minds.

-x-x-x-

_It's been so long, but he's made me realise I can love again. _

"Just let your heart open to me, Jack…" A tear rolled down Ianto's cheek.

-x-x-x-

_Maybe, some day, some one will realise I'm special. _

"I'll try. God damn, Tosh, I'll try…" Owen whispered.

-x-x-x-

_Maybe I'll find love again. Maybe I can open up._

"I forgive you, Owen…" Gwen resolved, squeezing her eyes shut.

-x-x-x-

_I love Rhys. And that's who I'll love forever._

"He's a lucky man to have you, Gwen. And so am I. Though I'm luckier to have Ianto. I have the best man someone like me could want…thank you, Ianto…" Jack smiled slightly before drifting into unconsciousness. 

-x-x-x-

_I'm so much more, Jack. I hope he realises. I hope he knows. I love him. _

"He knows…" Tosh choked on her tears, clenching her fists fiercely.

-x-x-x-

All was quiet, as six lights flickered on in the pyramid.

**Possibly one or two more chapters left now =)**

**I'm sorry if I rambled a bit in this chapter…**

**Thanks for reading =D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Note; I do not own Torchwood, nor do I own its characters. If I did, Jack and Ianto's dog Norman and their hamster Jeremy would be living in their back garden, and Tosh and Owen would be singing to the radio all day =)**

**Thank you so, so much to everybody who has read and reviewed, and also to those who are subscribing to both this story and to me; it means so, so much =D **

**Also a shout out to everybody who has favourite-ed this story, and my other fictions. Thank you! =D **

**So here is Chapter Six!**

**I have not decided whether to write an epilogue or not, but, if people would like one, I will be happy to write a short one for you ^^**

**~ Dragon**

It was quiet in the Torchwood Hub; silence hung in the air like an invisible mist, and on the cold floor, below a workstation which was a mess of computers, papers, and other paraphernalia, six humans lay.

One was a blonde woman, with skipping thoughts and an empty heart. She was not part of the team, but instead a mess; her soul had escaped, and instead, her husband's mind was trapped in her body.

One was a doctor, whose thoughts were tinted with his team-mates' love for him.

One was an ex-policewoman, whose emotions were muddled, and who was so unsure of who she truly loved, she could hardly stand it.

One was a computer expert, who was so deeply in love with one who did not notice her, and whose expertise was the only thing that kept her going.

One was a tea-boy, whose love for his boss ran so deep that he could hardly stand it. Whose utter need, desire for his lover overshadowed all other feelings.

The last was a leader, a heart-breaker, a flirter, a charmer, a shoulder to cry on. Someone who could always be relied on, yet someone who you couldn't trust to stick around. Someone who was unsure of how he felt, yet absolutely sure that his love was irrevocable. His love for one man.

The leader sat up, slowly, his head spinning slowly. He seemed nervous, and he drew a hand up to eye-level, and breathed out a sigh of relief, as if he had been out of his body for a while, and was satisfied that the hands he saw were his own. He turned his head a fraction, his gaze falling upon a handsome young man, who was lying crumpled beside him. The leader did not say anything; instead, he moved towards the young man, who was wearing a fine suit, and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face into his neck.

"Jack…?" The young man stirred, and groaned in what seemed to be pain.

"Shh," Jack whispered, one hand on the Welshman's waist, the other stroking his hair. This small, private moment, that nobody else saw, was one he'd make sure to treasure for ever. Tosh had told him, soon after he had returned with Ieuan Holmes, what she had heard in Ianto's mind; and it had broken Jack's heart. Jack knew Ianto's feelings for him ran deep, but he never listened. He vowed, in that precious moment, that he would take the time to find out more about Ianto. He needed him.

"Am I back in my own body?"

"You sure are, buddy," Jack said quietly, smiling like a cat in front of a fire as Ianto's warm breath tickled his ear. "And have never looked better." Jack felt Ianto smile, as his throat moved slightly, and Jack also felt him sigh.

"Jack…" Ianto began, but was interrupted by Toshiko stirring in a state of half-sleep.

"Hmph…" She stretched her arms, sat up, her hair dishevelled. She turned to look at Jack and Ianto, and then looked down at her hands. She smiled a small smile, looking politely away from Jack and Ianto's private moment. "I guess we're back to normal, then."

"I guess so," Jack replied, carefully removing his arms from around Ianto, and getting to his feet. Ianto followed suite, brushing his suit down carefully, and straightened his tie. Jack patted him on the shoulder, and Ianto's cheeks flushed a little. Tosh cleared her throat, her lips pressed together. All three wanted to mention the thoughts they'd heard; but all of them knew that it was not the time. Those private secrets, buried deep in each other's minds…they weren't meant to be heard.

"Is Ieuan…still breathing?" Ianto asked, moving over to the woman's body as he did so. He nudged the small shoulder gently, and saw the woman's chest move up in time with her breathing. Ianto gave a small sigh, assured that Ieuan was ok; for the time being, anyway.

"How are Owen and Gwen doing?" Jack wondered aloud, inspecting the two unconscious people. Owen had his head on Gwen's shoulder, and was drooling in a most disgusting fashion. He decided to tell Gwen she'd got splashed by the water tower, to save Owen some grief. He nudged the doctor, squatting beside him and shaking his shoulder gently.

"Buh?" Owen sat up, bleary-eyed, and looked around him, his eyes still half closed. He groaned, clutching his head. "Ugh, this headache." He paused as he felt his hair. "Well. I guess I'm back." He looked to Jack, Ianto and Tosh in turn. "Are you all…?" Ianto nodded. "Well." Owen turned his attention to Gwen, who was now moaning quietly, rolling onto her stomach. Jack watched her silently, his head fogged with the private thoughts he had accidentally heard. He looked to the rest of his team, and saw them looking at each other. No doubt they were having the same thoughts, especially as Ianto was gazing sadly at Jack.

Gwen jumped to her feet, her eyes narrowed in disgust. "Has somebody been drooling on me?"

"Yeah. Um, sorry about that, Gwen," Owen said sheepishly, ducking as a folder flew towards his head.

"Hey!" Jack raised his voice, and his team looked at him, slightly alarmed. "Sorry. But we need to figure out what's going on with the pyramid. And whether Ieuan Holmes is still here or not, or whether his wife is back in her body. His body? Er…" Jack frowned as he thought this through, his brow furrowed, his teeth resting on his bottom lip. The rest of his team glanced at each other, smiling fondly at his look of fierce concentration.

He jumped in surprise when the body of Callista Holmes grabbed his trousers, crumpling them. Jack's frown deepened, but it was playful; his hands were on his hips, and he pouted. "Hey! I'd just gotten that crease right."

"S-sorry…" The woman whispered, before glancing at herself. She let out a long sigh. "I guess I'm never going back, huh?"

"You're still Ieuan?" Gwen asked, pressing her lips together. The blonde woman nodded.

"Well, what do we do, Jack?" Owen asked, turning to his boss.

"I…" Jack took a deep breath. "Ieuan. Callista killed your body, but also her mind; so basically, you're trapped in her body. You can either live as Callista, or…" Jack swallowed. "Or we can set you free."

Gwen gasped. "You're not suggesting we kill him, Jack?"

"Jack, that is going a bit far. Of course we can't kill him! We can find a way to bring Callista's mind back…" Tosh trailed off.

"Yeah? But then what does Ieuan do? His body's long dead, and Callista's long gone," Jack turned to Ieuan, who now had tears dripping from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Ieuan."

"It's…it's ok," Ieuan whispered hoarsely. The corners of his mouth twitched into a wan smile. "I've done…I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of. I let Callie down. And I've realised I can't live without her." Ieuan negotiated his way towards Jack, placing a hand on his arm. "Set me free. Please."

"Jack!" Gwen cried out in alarm. "You can't let him…"

"He's right," Jack said, defeated. "He wants to go, Gwen. We gotta let him." Jack closed his eyes briefly. "Do not look into the pyramid. No matter what, no matter how it tries to tempt you, do not look into it. God knows who will go where." Jack covered his eyes with his hand as the pyramid opened with a 'whoosh'. Ieuan Holmes, in his wife's body, smiled sadly, before looking into the black hole. The pyramid flashed black for a moment before pulling a light from the woman's body. The body crumpled, fell to the floor, before the pyramid closed up again. The Torchwood Team, who had been shielding their eyes, dared to look.

The pyramid had closed, seemingly for good. Inside it, a single light flickered and died.

-x-x-x-

"Coffee, sir?" Ianto stepped into Jack's office, carrying a tray of mugs. Jack peered over the top of the papers he was reading, and smiled.

"You are a mind reader," He said, placing the papers on his desk, and reaching eagerly for his mug. He took a sip, and shuddered in delight. "It tastes so much better in my own body."

"Glad to hear it," Ianto replied, putting the tray to one side for a moment, and leaning against Jack's desk. "Is the pyramid in your safe?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. I couldn't trust it in the archives. Anyone could find it."

"Yeah," Ianto agreed, and there seemed to be a moment's awkwardness between the two men. "Jack…" Ianto began speaking, before his breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears. "When…when I was in your body, I…I heard you. I heard your thoughts." Jack stopped sipping his coffee, and slowly put the mug down. He stood up, moving round to the opposite side of the desk, and sat beside Ianto.

"What did you hear?" Jack asked softly, and Ianto gulped as a tear rolled down his face. Jack slid closer, putting a comforting arm around Ianto's shoulders. "Hey. It's ok." Ianto shook his head.

"You said…that you hadn't felt 'this way' in a long time. That you were falling too deep. That you didn't want me to hurt. That…that you'd always come back for me," Ianto's body began to shake as sobs erupted from him. Jack's heart squeezed.

"Hey, hey," He now wrapped both arms around his young lover, moving as close as he could. Jack nudged Ianto so that he was looking directly into his eyes. "Listen, Ianto. I've loved so many people, so many times. I've lived thousands of lives, and all of them have lead nowhere. But you…you've made me realise that I can love again. That I can let myself be loved. I don't need to be scared anymore, because I've got you. And that's all that matters," Jack felt tears rolling down his face. "That's the truth, Ianto. I promise."

Ianto's face crumpled as he put his arms around Jack's waist. "Thank you." Jack didn't know how long they sat there, locked in each other's embrace. He just knew that he had finally opened to Ianto. And he couldn't be more thankful to the Welshman.

-x-x-x-

Gwen and Tosh stood in solemn silence, as door number 009 was sealed off forever. The old Victorian morgue lay far below the Autopsy room, a constant melancholy cloud hanging above it.

In drawer 009, a woman's body lay; on the death certificate, it said 'Callista Holmes', though the two members of Torchwood Three who stood by the door knew the woman's mind had been somebody entirely different.

Usually, the job of freezing bodies was left to Jack or Ianto, or sometimes Owen, but when Tosh had gone to find Ianto, she had seen him sobbing into Jack, and so had let him be. Nobody had seen Owen since the pyramid was boxed away in Jack's safe.

"He couldn't bear to live without his wife," Gwen said quietly, her arms folded. "I wonder how many people share that dedication to their partners. To follow them always, no matter where they go." Gwen was immediately reminded of Rhys, and she smiled lightly. She couldn't wait to see him.

"I know Ianto does. For Jack," Tosh replied softly, and Gwen raised her eyebrows. "I heard…I could hear Ianto's thoughts. There was so much pain. So much love."

Gwen swallowed. "Do you think Ianto loves Jack?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Tosh said, smiling sadly. Gwen looked doleful.

"Do you think…Jack loves Ianto?" Tosh shrugged at Gwen's question.

"Who knows? Only Ianto will. After all, he was in Jack's thoughts," Tosh wanted to change the subject. She, and most likely the other members of the team, even Owen, did not want to see the youngest member of Torchwood hurt. After all, Toshiko was eight years older than Ianto, her being born in 1975, and she felt a sort of duty to protect him.

"I wonder where Owen's got to?" Gwen pondered, and Tosh shrugged again.

"No idea. Maybe we should try and find him…"

-x-x-x-

Owen was stood in front of Janet's cell, staring at the creature caged inside. Janet was Torchwood's resident Weevil, and Owen often came to talk to the beast, though as Janet never replied, it was more like talking _at_ the Weevil.

"How do I live with what I've heard?" Owen asked the Weevil, who looked at him with beady eyes, hissed, and patted the wall with its hand. Owen rolled his eyes. "Yeah. It must be great for you. Yeah, I'm in my cell, yup, don't give too much of a crap about anything, just looking at this crazy guy yapping away, oh, what's that, he's talking to himself now, I'll just turn around now, yup, there we go." Owen sighed. "What am I doing, Janet? I'm just pushing all my friends away."

"But you can pull them back," Jack stood in the doorway, flanked by Ianto, who looked at the floor, shuffling in with a bag full of the foul-smelling food they gave the Weevil. "You just gotta let people in, Owen. Let them listen to you. Listen to them. Listen to Tosh. She could use a friend like you," Jack smiled, moving over to Owen, and clapping him on the shoulder. "C'mon. We gotta hold lot of paperwork to do."

-x-x-x-

In the boardroom, all the members of Torchwood Three sat, laughing over mugs of coffee.

Each carried secrets they never would have told; and each held the deepest thoughts of their team mates.

Jack looked at Ianto, who nodded his head a fraction.

At the bottom of each mug, a small, white tablet sat, where it would soon dissolve into the fragrant drink which it had been dropped it.

**Yay, retcon! xD**

**Well, that would be the end, folks, unless you want a short epilogue =)**

**Thank you to all of you who have supported this story, reviewed, favourite-ed and subscribed. It means so, so much to me, and I really appreciate it! =D**

**There will be more fics coming your way, so stay tuned!**

**Thanks again,**

**~ Dragon **


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